In 1966, Jonathan Miller gathered several well-respected British actors (such as Peter Sellers, Michael Redgrave, Peter Cook, and Wilfrid Brambell) to produce his own take on the Wonderland story as a filmed BBC tele-play. But rather than go the usual route of bringing a whimsical children's book to life with gaudy costumes and tacky humor, Miller directed a starkly realistic and absurdist version to highlight how confusing and frightening Victorian England may have been for a young girl. Every character is a human, despite their animal names, and Alice is strongly disconnected from the world around her.
This harsh look at madness and reality was met with a mixed reception at the time it was made. For some, the stylized production was too bizarre and unsettling. For others, this was an artistic masterpiece. No matter where you fall, it's clear that this is definitely the first dark Alice in Wonderland, and for that, it is noteworthy.
Original Source Breakdown
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Chapter I: Down the Rabbit Hole - MOSTLY INTACT/ALTERED
As Alice and her sister prepare for a day out and about, a sullen Alice wonders about the point of life. Alice falls asleep as the White Rabbit beckons her into a strange house. Alice explores the rooms until she finds a door she cannot get through. She changes sizes, although she doesn't become a giant when the cake makes her bigger. The dialogue she had while falling through the Rabbit Hole in the book is her inner-monologue throughout the first few scenes.
Chapter II: The Pool of Tears - MOSTLY REMOVED
As soon as Alice starts crying, we get flashes of the Pool of Tears and Alice instantly ends up in the next scene.
Chapter III: The Caucus-Race and a Long Tale - MOSTLY INTACT/ALTERED
The Mouse already has the other animals organized to tell them his history lessoned. The Caucus-Race takes on an overtly religious tone as hymnals are sung. The race also ends with the participants hitting each other before prizes are handed out. The Mouse leaves before he tells his tale and the White Rabbit takes Alice with him to his house.
Chapter IV: The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill - MOSTLY REMOVED/ALTERED
Alice grows very quickly in the Rabbit's room and hears the animals outside the room discussing what to do with her. Pebble-cakes are thrown in and she eats one, then walks out of the house without issue. All the animals watch her leave in silence. Some caged dogs bark at her (possibly standing in for the Puppy encounter).
Chapter V: Advice from a Caterpillar - MOSTLY INTACT/ALTERED
The Caterpillar conversation is presented in full, save for any references about him being a Caterpillar or three inches high. Since both he and Alice are normal size, their dialogue takes on a more metaphorical tone about growing up into an adult. No mushrooms are offered at the end, so Alice doesn't encounter the Pigeon either.
Chapter VI: Pig and Pepper - MOSTLY INTACT/ALTERED
Alice interacts with the Frog Footman who has more dialogue here about how busy he is. Their conversation starts before the Fish Footman arrives with the invitation. The Duchess scene normal, though the Baby becoming a pig is foreshadowed with second-long images of pigs appearing in the film and the transition occurs rather quickly with no dialogue from Alice. The Cheshire Cat is a real cat who doesn't grin, so it's just stated that the Cat "doesn't look like other cats." When the Cat talks to Alice later, it's filmed as if Alice is having a conversation with her own voice in her head.
Chapter VII: A Mad Tea Party - INTACT
There are very little changes to this scene, if any. They trio doesn't change their seats, but that is it. Every bit of dialogue is included, even the Dormouse's story about the treacle well.
Chapter VIII: The Queen's Croquet-Ground - MOSTLY INTACT/ALTERED
Only two gardeners are present with one of them holding a picture of red roses for the other to draw inspiration from. Alice doesn't step into save them from being beheaded. The croquet game is very odd. It isn't very difficult and the Queen isn't cheating or running around calling for people's educations. And Alice barely participates in it. The Cat's head appears in the sky and the Queen and Executioner argue over how to behead it, so the Duchess is called for.
Chapter IX: The Mock Turtle's Story - INTACT
Some dialogue is cut again, but Alice has a complete conversation about morals with the Duchess and schooling with the Mock Turtle and Gryphon.
Chapter X: The Lobster-Quadrille - MOSTLY REMOVED
The Mock Turtle and Gryphon show Alice the Lobster-Quadrille as the Mock Turtle sings it to her, but afterwards, Alice is immediately summoned to the trial.
Chapter XI: Who Stole the Tarts? - INTACT/ALTERED
There is a lot of added dialogue, courtesy of Peter Sellers as the King of Hearts, who seems to be ad-libbing in addition to the Carroll text. Also, they pause the trial to sing a British anthem.
Chapter XII: Alice's Evidence - MOSTLY INTACT/ALTERED
The trial plays out as it does in the book. When Alice wakes up, she doesn't tell her sister about her dream. They just return home in silence.
Through the Looking-Glass - REFERENCED
Though nothing from the book is included, there are a few times when Alice has an interesting interaction with her reflections in mirrors. When she talks to herself via Cheshire Cat, she passes through a mirror-like archway where her reflection can be seen walking away. During the trial, Alice stands near a mirror and her reflection moves independently of Alice.
Review:
This may be the coolest/weirdest version of Alice in Wonderland I have ever seen. It definitely has the feel of a Samuel Beckett play or an Ingmar Bergman film. It is filled with long pauses, interesting camera angles, fourth-wall breaks, creepy screams, whispered dialogue, and just a general sense of uneasiness. Once you get on board with the concept of an Alice in Wonderland played entirely by humans as humans, you can really appreciate what this film is going for.
Alice herself has a very different presence than she does in the book. She is a disaffected Victorian teenager with slow reaction times and snarky behavior. She is wrapped up in an existential crisis the entire time. This is more like Wednesday Addams in Wonderland based on the way she interacts with people. It's really interesting to see the first time Alice is depicted as "mad" from the start of the story. Throughout the book, it's implied that she's a lonely child who plays and has conversations by herself. Here, we see it played out in full.
Miller has some great directorial choices throughout this version. For instance, he extends Alice's "Who am I?" monologue throughout all of the scenes from the first four chapters instead of just the first. That way, it makes her conversation with the Caterpillar much more poignant, because it's fresh on her mind. And having Alice's conversation with the Cat become a literal conversation with the voices in her head, it adds a new layer to the original tale (because the Cat is the only friendly character Alice encounters, so to have it be just a facet of her own personality makes her all the more lonely).
Having no animal costumes was a wonderful idea for this film. I'm not saying that Wonderland should always look this realistic, but it's intriguing for a change of pace. This choice allowed much of the focus to actually be on Lewis Carroll's words. I had noticed that the elements of his stories that would get cut out of other adaptations would be the "talkier" moments without interesting visuals, such as the Dormouse's slow and meandering story. But this time, I was looking forward to hearing it!
This isn't an entirely bleak film. There are still elements of humor, especially in Peter Sellers as the King of Hearts (and John Bird as the Frog Footman was a delightful take for a usually dull character). Mostly, my interest was sustained through the guessing factor. How was Miller going to portray each scene? Sometimes there would be surprises, like having the Duchess played by a man was an option I had never seen done before. Or there might be little random moments of weirdness happening in the background, like the man casually shaving his face during the trial.
The message of this version was clear. Sometimes the real nightmares can be found within the banal existence that is life. And I'm so glad that this pretentious, artsy film made it to air.
5 out of 5 Voices in My Head
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